NHS quarterly figures reveal increase in waiting times for patients (7 June 2018)

The quarterly figures are in and they show the extent of the NHS’s struggle to meet demand with more than 2,600 patients having waited more than a year for treatment, almost double the previous year’s results.

This is after March saw the worst A&E wait times since records began with only 82.4% of patients being seen within 4 hours which is more than 10% less than the NHS guidelines which require at least 95% of patients to be seen within 4 hours.

A large number of patients are waiting longer to be referred for treatment meaning it could be some time until the NHS catches up. These quarterly figures are concerning not least since failings have been recorded in cancer care, with many patients surpassing the recommended wait time to begin their treatment.

Even the best performing A&E units have failed to meet the 4 hour target, demonstrating the scale of the issue.

Ian Dalton, chief executive of NHS Improvement, applauds the NHS for managing to maintain its service during this extremely busy time. In the first 3 months of the year over 5 million people visited A&E, which resulted in 1.1 million hospital admissions, that is more than 277,000 being seen in A&E in 2018 compared to the previous year.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care supports Mr Dalton’s view that this is an “important achievement” and reassures that the long-term plan devised by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Theresa May along with a “sustainable multi-year settlement” will be put in place to help deal with this influx.

However, delay in treatment can be extremely dangerous for patients, especially when urgent care is required. In A&E the 4 hour wait time is intended for non-urgent A&E attendees only. A triage scale, with 5 grades of urgency depending on medical state, is applied at your initial consultation upon entering A&E to determine when you should be seen.

The scale is as follows:

1. Requires resuscitation – immediate response


2. Seriously ill - 10 minutes wait


3. Urgent but stable – 60 minutes wait


4. Standard/ patients not in danger – 120 minutes wait


5. Non-urgent – 240 minutes wait

If you were not seen within the timescale afforded to your state of medical emergency, delaying diagnosis and subsequently delaying your treatment causing damage which would otherwise have been avoided, you may be entitled to bring a medical negligence claim.

It is important to contact a clinical negligence solicitor as soon as possible as they will be able assess whether you have a claim and process it on your behalf.

Rebecca Thomas is a Director of Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury based at our head office in Harrow. She is highly experienced in dealing with severe and complex clinical negligence and personal injury cases including, but not limited to; claims involving birth injuries, brain injuries, surgical injuries and orthopaedic injuries resulting from delay, misdiagnosis or negligent spinal or gastrointestinal surgery.

If you have been affected by medical negligence as a result of a delay in treatment, contact Rebecca on 020 3114 1309 or email her at rebeccat@duncanlewis.com.

Duncan Lewis Clinical Negligence Solicitors

Duncan Lewis’ Clinical Negligence team has significant experience acting in a vast array of claims. Varying from accident and emergency failures to GP negligence claims, to misdiagnosis to wrongful death claims. The team also act for children and adults who have suffered profound and permanent brain, spinal or neurological injuries and associated disabilities as a consequence of failings in medical care in both NHS and private hospitals.

If you have any queries relating to Clinical Negligence or think that you may have a claim, please do not hesitate to contact our team of expert solicitors on 0333 772 0409.